’Former athletes should return as coaches to strengthen Indian sport’: Anurag Thakur

March 14, 2026, New Delhi: Hon’ble Member of Parliament and former Union Sports Minister Anurag Singh Thakur on Saturday said India must bring former athletes back into the sporting ecosystem as coaches and mentors to strengthen the country’s sports development structure.

“Many players who got jobs through sports are now working in offices, while many of them could be involved with the game again as coaches or mentors. They may contribute far more to sports in those roles,” Thakur said while addressing sports journalists on Day 2 of the Golden Jubilee edition of the Sports Journalists Federation of India (SJFI) National Convention at the Constitution Club of India, hosted by the Delhi Sports Journalist Association (DSJA).

Emphasising the need for better systems to nurture talent, Thakur also stressed the importance of structured athlete development and data-driven monitoring. “We need to analyse data and create a proper tracking system for the entire journey of an athlete so that talent can be identified early and groomed with the right support,” he said, adding that sports science and rehabilitation centres must be utilised more effectively.

He called on state governments to play a larger role in strengthening the country’s sporting ecosystem. “Sports is largely a state subject and states must increase their budgets, build infrastructure and hire more coaches if we want better results in the future,” Thakur said, while also underlining the importance of evaluating sports institutions and policies regularly to ensure accountability and long-term impact.

Thakur also emphasised the need for stronger institutional accountability in sports administration. “Institutions are very important. We must evaluate what has been achieved after recommendations are made and assess whether our systems are actually producing results,” he noted, calling for continuous review and improvement of sports policies and programmes.

Welcoming delegates earlier, DSJA president Abhishek Tripathi highlighted the significance of the gathering during SJFI’s landmark year. “It is a proud moment as the SJFI celebrates its Golden Jubilee. We are delighted to welcome sports journalists from across the country to Delhi and grateful to Anurag Thakur ji for interacting with the fraternity,” he said.

Several dignitaries and stakeholders from the sports and corporate ecosystem were felicitated during the Day 2 proceedings of the convention. Among those honoured were Shivalika Chadha Malik of Hero MotoCorp, Manva Sudarshan Hunswadkar of KRAFTON India and Udita Dutta, founder and CEO of Artsmith, recognising their contributions to sport and the broader sporting ecosystem.

The sporting competitions held as part of the convention added to the vibrant atmosphere of the gathering. The JK Bose Inter-Zonal T20 Cricket Trophy saw North Zone and South Zone register convincing victories in their respective matches played at Roshanara Cricket Club and the Delhi Police Ground.

Meanwhile, The AC Bali Table Tennis Tournament, held at the same venue, saw Delhi Sports Journalists Association (DSJA-1) defeat the Sports Writers Association of Bengaluru (SWAB-1), while the Sports Journalists Association of Mumbai (SJAM-1) overcame the Tamil Nadu Sports Journalists Association (TNSJA-1) to book their place in the final.

The DSJA-1 trio of Kushan Sarkar, Bharat Sharma and Norris Pritam will face SJAM-1’s Amol Karhadkar, Ashwin Ferro and Akush Dhavre in the title clash scheduled to be played on Monday at the same venue.